EASTERN CONFERENCE-
ATLANTIC
Boston- If they gave David Backes a ton of money to solidify their top nine ok. If they want him in their top six it’s a mistake. B-
Buffalo- The Sabres signed Kyle Okposo to play with Jack Eichel. Great move. Dmitry Kulikov adds some toughness to their back end. A
Detroit- Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk went back to Russia and his contract went to Arizona. The Red Wings had cap space to make a splash. They didn’t. They signed the underrated Franz Nielsen. Neilson plays Red Wing-style hockey and is a nice fit. Darren Helm got a big contract, he’s a solid two-way player but he needs to stay heathy. Thomas Vanek always plays well when a contract in on the line. Steve Ott is guaranteed to do many stupid things. B
Florida- Florida overturned their defense. They lost toughness in Erik Gudbranson and Dmitri Kulikov but added skill in Keith Yandle and Jason Demers. Yandle was given a ridiculous contract. It’s like they never saw that skirt play. Signing James Reimer gives Roberto Luongo a solid backup so he can be fresh the spring. They locked up young studs Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith for a long time. B
Toronto- The Maple Leafs godfather Lou Lamoriello got their stud center ( Austin Matthews) franchise goalie ( Frederick Andersen ) and locker room leader ( Matt Martin) A
Tampa Bay – Steve Yzerman is the Jerry West of the NHL. He got Steve Stamkos to take much less than his market value. He also locked up Norris winner in waiting Victor Hedman. Resigning premier backup Andrei Vasilevskiy makes Ben Bishop a great trading chip. A
Montreal- I’d rather have PK Subban than Shea Weber, who’s diminishing but I guess Montreal doesn’t. Andrew Shaw will be a fan favorite in Montreal but the fans will never forget Subban. B-
Ottawa- They fired their coach and brought back Chris Kelly. Yawn . D
METRO-
Pittsburgh- GM of the Year Jim Rutherford made one great move. He got Justin Schultz to stay for cheap. There’s no rush to move Marc Andre Fleury until the trade deadline. A
New York Rangers- Nick Holden will help their quickly aging defense. They need to win some important arbitration hearings to avoid salary cap hell. INCOMPLETE
New York Islanders- They gave Andrew Ladd way too much money and let Matt Martin walk. D
Philadelphia – Philly signed Dale Weise, a tough kid that can score. They also ensured their blueline will be nasty for years to come by resigning uber villain Radek Gudas. The Flyers did nothing stupid for once. B+
Columbus- Seth Jones was signed to a contract that will keep Seth there much longer than his coach John Tortorella. Columbus was not able to unload their dead weight. C
Carolina- GM Ron Francis got an ultra-talented kid in Teuvo Teravainen from Chicago along with Bryan Bickell. Bickell gives Carolina some needed bulk and himself a fresh start. Lee Stempniak is a nice veteran pickup. Francis is putting a ton of faith in brittle Cam Ward. B
New Jersey- GM Ray Shero got his magic back by getting Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson. Ben Lovejoy was added at a very reasonable price. Vernon Fiddler is a solid pickup and what if Beau Bennett ever stays healthy. A-
Washington- Lars Eller adds some third line scoring. Resigning Tom Wilson means the Capitals will retain their edge. B
CENTRAL-
Chicago – Bryan Campbell gives them their needed number four defenseman for at least 1 year. I don’t know how they replace Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw I hope GM Stan Bowman does. C-
Nashville- They traded their leader, Shea Weber for the franchise’s first superstar PK Subban. Could have add a little more offense up front. A-
St Louis- They kept Ken Hitchcock to guarantee one more year of coming up short. So why not add David Perron who never exceeds expectations. Coach Captain Kangaroo doesn’t have goalie Brian Elliot to blame anymore. D
Winnipeg- Winnipeg gave Mark Scheifele a huge contract he deserved. They also showed patience making no mistakes. C+
Minnesota- BBQ Bruce Boudreau was given control of the Wild. A great move for the Wild, probably not for Bruce. The Wild gave Eric Staal and Chris Stewart contracts. Two guys on their last NHL chances. C_
Colorado – Nathan MacKinnon was given a franchise player’s contract. Now he has to play like one all the time. C-
Dallas- The Stars didn’t solve their goalie problem but maybe it can’t be fixed. Dan Hamhuis gives the Stars a top four defensive defenseman they desperately needed. C+
PACIFIC
San Jose- Mikkel Boedker’s contract, talent to money ratio might have been the steal of the summer. A
Los Angeles- The Kings lost Milan Lucic. The Kings still have not replaced Slava Voynov. Tom Gilbert not a number three defenseman, Gilbert is a four at best. Micheal Latta will prosper in Sutter’s system. Teddy Purcell might be to old too. C-
Anaheim- They dumped BBQ Bruce for hard ass Randy Carlyle. Frederick Anderson is gone. John Gibson is now the man and need to stay healthy. Jonathan Bernier is not a starter on a Cup contender. The Ducks lost scoring up front but kept all of the young talented blue-liners. B-
Edmonton- Milan Lucic signing with the Edmonton is a huge coup. They might not have got enough for Taylor Hall but the Oilers needed defense. A-
Calgary- Brian Elliot gives Calgary a true number one goaltender. Troy Brouwer adds a veteran presence who can still play but a new coach means they’re starting all over again , again. B
Vancouver- Locking up goalie Jacob Markstrom means Ryan Miller is on his way out . Erik Gudbranson helps their struggling defense. Signing Louie Eriksson for six years means mediocrity is here to stay. D+
Arizona- Jamie McGinn adds another young, tough forward with offensive skills. A great signing. Alex Goligoski add more offense to their defense. Taking on the ghost of Pavel Datsyuk means this franchise is still not serious about winning. B
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